Texas to defund Planned Parenthood

The Texas Legislature approved a bill Monday that would both compel the state to push the Obama administration to convert Texas’s Medicaid program into a block grant and defund abortion providers like Planned Parenthood.

The omnibus health bill also includes a number of other controversial provisions, including plans to save $400 million over the next year by increasing the use of Medicaid managed care.

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The legislation now goes to the desk of Gov. Rick Perry, who has been generally supportive of both the Medicaid reforms, as well as anti-abortion language.

When previously asked about Senate Bill 7, Perry spokeswoman Lucy Nashed would not speak specifically to pending legislation, but did comment on the governor’s broad support for block grants.

“[Gov. Perry] would prefer local or state solutions to Texas’ health care challenges rather than one-size-fits-all bureaucracy from the federal government, and block grants are one of the options Texas has considered,” she previously told POLITICO.

On the Planned Parenthood provision, Nashed said, “The governor continues to champion the protection of unborn life in Texas, recently signing House Bill 15, which requires a woman to have a sonogram before electing to have an abortion to ensure she is fully informed before making such an impactful decision.”

This article first appeared on POLITICO Pro at 3:45 p.m. on June 27, 2011.